50 Cent’s ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins is staring down a federal lawsuit after allegedly promoting tell-all content online that violates a contract signed with the rapper’s publishing imprint, G-Unit Books.
AllHipHop has exclusively learned Tompkins sold the exclusive rights to her life story — including her name, likeness, personal experiences and all related publicity uses — to G-Unit Books back in 2007.
In return, she reportedly received $80,000 and was promised future royalties.
The document refers to those rights as “unconditional, irrevocable, exclusive and perpetual,” leaving no room for public commentary or monetization outside of the company’s control.
However, G-Unit Books now claims Tompkins broke that agreement by posting and sharing a series of interviews and videos that delve into her past with 50 Cent and their son, Marquise.
She claimed the rapper hit her while she was pregnant with Marquise back in 1996, that he was physically and verbally abusive during their relationship, hit her in front of her daughter and “beat the mess” out of her in another altercation.
“Capitalizing on her recent notoriety from a ‘viral’ post commenting on testimony in the high-profile ‘Diddy’ trial, Tompkins has repeatedly and deliberately exploited the very rights she conveyed to G-Unit Books,” a complaint obtained by AllHipHop reads.
“Tompkins’ behavior was intentional—she explicitly referenced the very agreement she breached while she actively breached it, stating it was something that was ‘going to have to be worked out legally,’” according to 50 Cent’s attorney Reena Jain.
G-Unit’s legal team argues the damage goes far beyond financial injury.
The core value of those rights, they say, came from their exclusivity, which no longer exists once personal information circulates online.
“Jackson purchased these rights to preserve them for use in future biographical or autobiographical projects, but also in part because he was concerned that Tompkins would attempt to monetize their history and his name. His concerns were ultimately proven correct,” Reena Jain added.
The company is asking the court to do four things: order Tompkins to remove and stop promoting any media tied to her life story, award damages of at least $1 million, require her to cover their legal expenses and grant any other appropriate relief.
The contract also included a clause requiring Tompkins to indemnify G-Unit Books for any losses due to breaches, placing even more weight on her alleged violations.
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